


It Only Looks Easy

by Gyhl



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 3 timeframe, Community: fandomweekly, Gen, I really want to know how many hours were in a 'day' for her at this point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 16:06:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6015751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl/pseuds/Gyhl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During third year, all those extra classes made things a little harder for Hermione than Harry was aware of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Only Looks Easy

"Well, _I_ will be down in the library," Hermione announced sanctimoniously, before gathering up her books and storming out.

She knew what Harry and Ron would be saying. Well, she _suspected_ what they'd be saying. And once the Fat Lady's portrait closed, she leaned back against it with a sigh. She barely heard the Fat Lady's indignant squawking about her leaning against the portrait. She pushed off with a shaky breath and looked for an empty classroom.

She was exhausted from all the extra classes and added hours in each day. That had actually been the problem and why she'd stormed out the way she did. She knew the likelihood of them following was low. And, she admitted to herself as she stepped into the classroom, this was the entire problem. 

She closed the classroom door and put an anti-unlocking charm on it before dropping her books. She didn't like crying, she didn't like appearing weak. But as she crouched down to gather up her books, it all came erupting out of her in wracking sobs.

The topper of the day had been the Charms homework. It was the first spell she'd had trouble with. When her tears tapered off, she pulled out her wand and tried the cheering charm again. Nothing happened. She tried it again, restraining the urge to wave her wand all the harder, and when nothing happened yet again, she set her wand down, feeling another wave of tears coming.

But instead she sneezed.

And again.

And again.

"Blast it all," she complained in between sneezes. 

Maybe (six... seven...) Professor Flitwick would (eight... nine...) give her some credit (ten...) for ending up with a sneezing (eleven...) charm. When a twelfth sneeze didn't come, she relaxed back some. At least it hadn't lasted all that long. Maybe it was a good thing that she was so tired.

Hermione had considered talking to Harry and Ron, asking their advice. But she didn't need to, for the same reason Harry often didn't: she had a good idea what they'd say. One would suggest dropping classes, the other would suggest turning back time and taking an extra rest (beyond what she already was).

"All right. I can get this."

She took a shuddery breath, afraid the tears would start again if she didn't get this right, and cast the charm. A final sneeze from her last attempt caught her off-guard, causing her to sharply flick her wand. But instead of bringing another wave of tears, she started laughing.

"Was I not...?"

She dug through the pile of books on the floor, looking for her charms text. She flipped through it to the section on cheering charms and, after a quick read through, shook her head. The wand motion had been wrong.

"Amazing how much clearer one thinks when they're not about to cry," she muttered to herself.

And as she gathered up her books, her eyes fell on a closet in the back of the classroom. She carried her books back to it and had a look inside before nodding to herself. It was perfectly large enough for her to curl up in and she could transfigure the somewhat dusty stored supplies into something softer for an hour's nap.

"Harry _would_ have been right," she said with a little smile. "I _should_ have an extra rest."


End file.
